Samsung SDI's joint venture will focus on the development and production of EV battery technologies.

The joint venture consists of Chinese parts maker Anqing Ring New Group and a company owned by the government of Shaanxi province, according to Samsung SDI.

The EV battery factory, scheduled to open next year, reportedly will be catering to Samsung SDI's current customer BMW and car makers such as Volkswagen AG, who are rushing into electric cars in China, according to the Reuters' report. Samsung SDI currently supplies batteries for BMW's i3 and Chrysler's F500e electric cars.

Beyond its target of 5 million "new energy vehicles" on the road by 2020, the Chinese government is also establishing some specific technology and cost targets. They include: "batteries are to offer 150 Wh/kg and cost 2 RMB/Watt (US$0.33/W) by 2015, with an increase in density to 300 Wh/kg and concomitant reduction in cost to 1.5 RMB/Watt (US$0.25/Watt) by 2020," according to the SAE report.

If any country successfully sponsors research that enables cost effective long life EV vehicles to be deployed, the environment everywhere benefits from the availability of a cost effective low pollution vehicle. Of course, the financial benefits are likely to flow especially to the home countries of the corporations whose sponsored research proved successful. I'm hoping that our country proves to be a major contributor to the solution.

The research on EVs , the batteries for EVs is going on for a few decades but yet a major breakthrough regarding the capacity to equal that of a gasoline filled tank, and charging time comparable to refilling at a gas station has not been achieved.

Some out-of-box thinking is required to find solution to this basic problem of EVs. Otherwise a totally new concept is required to replace those polluting IC engine driven vehicle population.